Giving America a Voice: Revenue Generation Opportunities

Today’s topic in our week-long series on What America Wants from the Postal Service considers ways in which the Postal Service could generate revenue to sustain its operations. The Postal Service’s future financial health depends on its ability to generate revenue, as well as cut costs (yesterday’s blog topic). In the larger debate about reinventing the Postal Service’s business model, the topic of allowing the Postal Service to offer non-postal products and services frequently emerges.

Non-postal products and services might help the Postal Service continue to meet Americans’ needs in a world increasingly reliant on digital communications. Non-postal services could also contribute to the Postal Service’s bottom line through additional revenue, helping it cover the costs associated with providing universal service. Of course, the issue of non-postal services also concerns some people that feel that offering non-postal products creates unfair competition for the private sector.

Opportunities for the Postal Service include providing access to government services, such as licenses and permits, allowing for collection of social benefits, or providing options for bill pay at Post Office locations. These types of government services are not too dissimilar from services already available from the Postal Service, such as passport applications.

Results of our web-based survey of 5,000 Internet-connected Americans aged 18 years and older indicated that nearly half of respondents expressed interest in having more services available at the Post Office. Most of these respondents were particularly interested in accessing government services such as driver’s license renewal services, request for permits or licenses, or paying bills.

Several months ago I received notice from my Netspend Visa Card with Meta Bank and they were updating my agreement with them because my Postal Pay would be direct deposited to my check card account. I had also received software from a lady at the treasury department, which I was unsuccessful with its use. Just after I received notice that I would be getting paid from the USPS the lady from the treasury sent me some kind of information about Postal Money Orders. And then my card account changed their policy again on me and I never received any Postal Pay. And they will not inform me about the direct deposit that they had set up from the USPS. And when I ask any questions about it they skirt around it. I have yet to get a direct response to my any of my questions.
Around that time I was also hacked, and I received notice from the USPS and I’m not sure but I think that it was a reporting form. I was unable to open the pages to my mail after that . I retrieved the file number, And proceeded to two different Post Offices in Surprise Az. And was refused assistance from both offices.
So if there is any information you can provide me in regards to these matters I would be greatly Honored.
Yours Truly
Princess Leah S. Cook

We are having delivery issues with our smaller postal carrier towns. What use to take 1 day to deliver, is now taking two to three days. We have loyal customers who are thinking about dropping their subscription if service does not improve....